Louisiana Jindal Blasts BP Commission Over Berm Draft

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal issued the following statement on the National Oil Spill Commission’s report regarding the berms:

The issue of the "berms" was a hot question during the BP oil spill.

The commission's draft released today blasted Jindal and Louisiana officials. Governor JIndal has criticized the Obama administration and the federal government for its actions or "lack " of actions during the BP crises.

“The Commission would do a true service to Americans by recommending federal bureaucracies that can be eliminated or expedited in times of major disasters – like Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, instead of attacking the politics of Louisiana and Huey Long.

“The report’s assertion that the berms did not pass the commission’s ‘cost benefit analysis’ is insulting to the thousands of people whose way of life depends on the health of our working coast. What exactly is the cost of thousands of jobs and generations of fishermen and oyster harvesters who have made their living off of our coast for over 100 years? I would like the Administration to provide us with an estimate of the ‘cost’ that they did not deem worthy of every action possible to protect coastal families.

“We are thrilled that this has become the state's largest barrier island restoration project in history.” – Governor Bobby Jindal

From Billy Nungesser

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“The National Oil Spill Commission is throwing rocks from Washington, they should come down here and state their findings, not comment from D.C.

“To critique the effectiveness of the barrier island plan now is absurd after all the obstacles that we had to get through. The plan was proposed in early May, but sat swamped in bureaucracy for so long that the ability of the berms to provide protection is difficult to gauge. The Corps of Engineers delayed the permits for weeks. Thad Allen only directed BP to build one berm at first. The Interior Department delayed it over the locations of the source material.

“And for the Commission and Thad Allen to use hindsight to attack the berms is just a disgrace. Let’s critique Incident Command. They implemented the 80 foot rule penalized by a $40,000 fine and criminal charges to protect boom coincidentally at the same time when photographers were taking pictures of oiled pelicans. They said it was the result of complaints of people damaging boom, but the source of the complaint was never identified.

“USCG/BP never had a plan. When President Obama was in Venice we proposed the use of jack up boats to act as the eyes and ears in the response, but Captain Stanton of the Coast Guard objected to it. The President asked Captain Stanton if he had a better plan and Captain Stanton responded that he was working on one. The President said well until you get a better plan, put Billy’s jack up boats out there. Thank God the President came down here twice because the other buffoons who were in charge did absolutely nothing to help us fight the oil. Pass A Loutre sat inundated with oil for weeks without being picked up.

“We didn’t receive even a foot of Ocean Boom which we requested over and over. Our plan was to drive pilings and put ocean boom which has a long curtain and would keep oil out in rough seas. But instead they kept bringing us the garbage boom that we knew wouldn’t work.

“We proposed short term and long terms plans to fight the oil. They used boom out in open water and claimed to have skimmers working, but they never worked and they knew it.

“The Coast Guard bragged about having 5,000 men and women down here to fight the oil yet none had oil on their shirts, it’s a disgrace and waste of money.

“Let America remember the pictures of what we were fighting because we received no help and the Coast Guard was more worried about keeping the press away than cleaning up the oil and saving the wetlands.